I think it’d be way more precise to have a soldering iron where the tip is close to your fingertips, just like a pen.
In: Technology
As others mention, the length is so you don’t burn your fingers. They’re hot. They’re also precise enough for the job.
If you don’t need that precision there are alternatives. Reflow soldering is what’s typically done for mass soldering. Basically solder is a paste put on the board, components are set in place by robots, and the thing is baked hot enough to melt the solder. As the video shows, you don’t need to be especially precise, the metal beads itself together exactly where it needs to go.
For a hobbyist if the project has extremely small soldering details a hot air works quite well. [This video showing it was the top hit on YouTube](https://youtu.be/Xcxp0ofb9OI?t=128). It can also work if you’ve got hand tremors or other inability to hold the parts how you need.
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